


My Ideal Team

by MusicalBloodDrop



Category: Original Work, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Fluffy, Gen, Major Original Character(s), Original Character(s), Original Character-centric, Original Pokemon Trainer - Freeform, POV Original Character, Pokemon - Freeform, Pokemon Fanfiction, Pokemon Training, Reincarnation, Self-Indulgent, Silly, Tbh I just want to live in the Pokemon world, first person POV, let me live
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-31
Updated: 2018-01-31
Packaged: 2019-03-11 18:34:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13530159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MusicalBloodDrop/pseuds/MusicalBloodDrop
Summary: A young boy about to set out on his Pokemon Adventure gets a strange message from a time unknown. How will this effect him moving forward into the amazing world of Pokemon?





	My Ideal Team

**Author's Note:**

> It's been ages since I wrote anything so please excuse me for my clumsy writing at times! Also this is 100% wish-fulfillment and totally self indulgent so please take it with a pinch of salt!

I had known about the tiny wrapped present since I could remember. It was no bigger than the size of a classic DS game, and when I shook it, it make a small sliding sound. It wasn't wrapped very well, with edges sticking up here and there, but I didn't feel like taping them down and making it more difficult to open when the time came.  
  
"For your tenth birthday, when you become a Pokemon trainer," it read, in very small printed handwriting.  
  
Well, I figured the latter part was more important than the former. The age of Pokemon training had gone up since whenever this present had been made - 13 - and I had been more and more impatiently staring at the gift since I turned ten. I had been around Pokemon since I was born, so it wasn't like I was missing out on anything as far as being a trainer went - I knew my time would come, like it did for my older sister, like it did for my mom and dad, like it did for my best friend...I only had to wait another few days and I'd get my first Pokemon, just for me.  
  
I was up late with the lights off, just the Pikachu nightlight casting soft yellow light on the edges of my old, worn present. I shook it again, near my ear, and it made that same soft sliding sound. I squished it between my fingers, the flattest parts still giving way, so I knew it wasn't plastic. It couldn't be anything that exciting.  
  
I had asked mom once where it came from. She said she couldn't remember, that one day, not very long after I was born, she just...found it. It didn't have a name on it, but she figured it would be for me. My sister was six at the time, so I asked mom why she didn't give it to her instead.  
  
"Something about the timing just seemed appropriate," she'd say. I asked my sister, when she got her first Pokemon, an Azurill, if she was jealous that I'd gotten a gift. She stuck out her tongue at me and told me she was already a Pokemon trainer, so why should she be jealous? She brought it up later, when I turned ten, that she was a little jealous, but she found a lot of peace with her own Pokemon, and that her jealousy had mostly turned into hope that the gift would be worth the wait. Mostly.  
  
I rolled over and set the gift on my nightstand. Just a couple more days, and I'd turn 13. The local Lead Trainer had already promised me a choice on that day, and as it edged closer I felt an electric beat in my heart that I hadn't felt before. I was so nervous and excited, and curious, and anxious... I knew the gift wouldn't be amazing, but what if it was? What if it was a treasure map, or a will to some really rich relative I never knew, or some kind of Legendary music..... I drifted to sleep, even the buzz in my head quickly covered in the gentle fog of sleep.

* * *

 

The clock in my classroom seemed painfully slow as Thursday came to a close. Everyone got their birthday off from school, and luckily mine was on a Friday which gave me the weekend to bond with my new Poke-buddy. A week after I'd have to decide if I wanted to start my Pokemon journey or stay in school; it was usually an even split, and there were kids in my class that had their first Pokeballs on them, in their backpacks, on their belts or in shirt pockets. A few would even try to sneak them into class, usually with the teachers giving a well-meaning but stern "No." They were allowed to bring them out at lunch, as we'd seen our teachers do, and some of the staff even had their Pokemon help where they could.  
  
All I knew was that the clock was actively mocking me as it ticked as slowly as possible towards the end of the day. I was half tempted to run home and sleep as soon as I could just so I could speed into tomorrow, but I knew I should try to keep a cool head about things; wouldn't do my new Pokemon any good to be introduced to a hungry, weird-slept kid as a first impression.  
  
"Jaxon will be missing from class tomorrow, as it's his 13th birthday. Has everyone wished him a happy birthday?" My eyes snapped from the clock to the front of the room where my teacher was smiling gently at me, her glasses low on her nose as she invited a kind of embarassing muddled group shout of "Happy birthday Jaxon!" from the rest of the class. I blushed just a little, and she nodded at my knowingly. "Have a good weekened with your new friend, Jaxon," she said, and smiled a little wider. I smiled back, muttering a "thanks."  
  
Finally the bell rang and everyone gathered their stuff, and I was probably the first one out the door, even faster than the kids who didn't bring anything home.  
  
I practically sprinted out the building, past the front gate as some of my classmates and friends waved at me, yelling encouragement and happy birthday wishes. It was generally understood that unless you were family, birthday presents came before or after the actual day-of, to avoid conflict with the Lead Trainer's schedule, so they simply cheered me on as I ran, getting more and more out of breath as I went but still somehow managing to shoot gigantic smiles back.  
  
I made it home in record time, but I slowed before I reached the door to catch my breath, leaning aginst the doorpost and huffing and puffing before I opened it. Mom was in the kitchen, making something that smelled amazing - probably my cake - and she smiled up at me from the counter.  
  
"Heya Jax!" She brushed down her front, sugar and flour flying off in a big cloud, and started coming around the dinner table to hug me. "How was my little man's last day of school before becoming a Pokemon Trainer?" She reached out to hug me with a big grin on her face.  
  
"Ahh, mom, I'm sweaty and you're all covered in flour!" I backed up a little but she kept on coming and finally swept me up into a big hug and even lifted me off the ground a little.  
  
"Oh hush, nothin' a little water won't fix, but a good hug won't wait!" She squished me a little again and kissed me on the forehead. I smiled and hugged her back. "So!? How was it!" She released me and stepped back to look at my face.  
  
"It was just a normal school day, mom," I laughed a little as I spoke. "You should ask me again tomorrow." I grinned back at her.  
  
"Ohh, you--" she was cut off by the timer ringing loudly back in the kitchen, and she quickly scurried back to shut it off and open the oven. I followed and sat in the closest chair at the dinner table, backwards with my chin on the back. She didn't have time to scold me this time as she pulled the cake pans out, which smelled incredible now that I was this close. They were shaped in a very common 13th birthday shape, a small circle in the center and two semi-circles that would slot around the circle in the center - a Pokeball. I remembered my sister's cake - she requested a Heal Ball pattern and mom's frosting skills weren't as clean as they'd gotten in the years since. I had asked for a Net Ball, since I thought the criss-cross pattern was cool. Honestly I liked the Fast Ball better but I didn't want it to look too much like a regular Pokeball. I knew what all the different Ball types were for, and while I didn't think I was going to use Net Balls too often, I could still like 'em for what they looked like.  
  
My stomach made weird flips at the thought of using Pokeballs all of a sudden - I had daydreamed about catching Pokemon, as any kid does, but the fact that starting tomorrow I'd actually have a use for the Pokeballs I'd been given as a gift last year made me nervous in a way I hadn't felt before. I distracted myself with conversation.  
  
"Oh yeah, is Genna gonna be able to make it to my party?" I asked, my jaw bouncing off the back of the chair. Mom had started leveling the cakes and handed off the center's top to me. I nibbled on it, and it was really good.  
  
"Oh, no my dear," mom turned to me with a sad smile, still leveling the cakes, "she said she was in Kalos and that her flier wasn't strong enough to make it back in time. She texted me and said she'd take the next train out though, and she knows her Azumarill can make the journey from there. Oh, I hope she stays safe..."  
  
"I'm sure she is, Zurri's a great partner," I said around cake crumbs. Mom smiled at me, quirking her eyebrows around the way I was sitting and the crumbs I was spilling but didn't say anything.  
  
"She also said since she can't make it in person that she'll make sure she stops somewhere to Holo with us." Mom nodded to herself as she sliced off the last top and laid it to the side, tearing off a small chunk and eating it sneakily. "Now then!" She turned to me, and I ate the last little bite of the cake top. "It's time to frost this bad boy!" She grinned and held out her hand to me. I got up and made my way around the chair to take it, and she put a spatula in it. I smiled a little incredulously, but I knew mom really wanted me and my sister to be involved in this. I helped her mix the frostings to the right colours, and slathered them on too thickly and we got it on our elbows and foreheads and noses, and at the end, there was a pretty decent-looking Net Ball cake to put in the fridge.  
  
Dad came home soon after, sweaty from his work helping build the local Pokemon Center. Since our town was always so small, we never had much for official Pokemon trappings, but as more kids grew up here, the adults finally figured it was time to stop going to the next town over every time they wanted to take a break. Plus I think they figured more kids would come home more often if there was a Center here.  
  
Despite being sweaty, he still pulled mom up into a hug and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She giggled and I looked away, a little weirded out. I liked them being happy but they were my parents after all. He opened the fridge to peek at the cake as mom told him about it and smiled at the both of us, congratulating us on the decent facsimile. He said it looked really good, but I knew it was only _pretty_ good; neither mom nor I were really artists, but we had fun, so I smiled back, proud enough.  
  
Dad went to take a shower and mom and I chatted for a while, watching TV and her making dinner, which dad came to help with when he was clean. Mom mushed the cake tops into a small pastry for dessert and said I could pick a flavour to go on top.  
  
Dinner was quiet and pleasant, and afterwards we got a Holo message from Genna, telling us how close she was to arriving. She had stopped off at some islands to heal and rest, and said she was about a third of the way there. We sent back a short Holo with all three of us telling her to stay safe and that we were waiting for her.  
  
"So hon," mom started, while petting my hair and I leaned against her as we watched a movie, dad on her other side with his arm around her shoulder and his hand resting just behind my head, "do you want to wait to open your presents, or did you want to get a start tonight?"  
  
I kinda sleepily moved the words around in my head. I was full and warm and the TV was glowing softly as the sun continued to set outside. I mumbled out something and she laughed softly in her chest.  
  
"Do you wanna go to bed hon?" My eyelids were getting heavier as she played with my hair and I made an "mm-hm" noise in my throat. She laughed again, and turned to dad, releasing each other's hand and moving to get me to sit and then stand up. I was tugged upstairs to bed and tucked in, which didn't really make me any sleepier. The blanket wasn't as warm and my bed wasn't as soft somehow, but I still snuggled down. I lay there as they both kissed me on the head and wished me good night.  
  
My brain must've decided to turn back on; as they left I could hear their footstep louder than I had been able to hear the TV, I felt the texture and the temperature of my blanket and mattress, I could see the nightlight and the still setting sun on the outsides of my eyelids... Why did I have to feel so awake when I'd just felt so sleepy? I opened my eyes, a little irritated.  
  
There was that tiny present, wrapped poorly and honestly worn after all the years of handling it and losing and finding it, reflecting those two light sources off the zig-zagged edges of tape.  
  
I reached out for it. It was customary to open presents the day before or the day after, and my little alarm clock read 8:47PM. The last little streaks of light could be seen out my window. This counted, right? I'd been waiting for ages, and now it was finally time...  
  
I took it in my hand. It was no bigger than my palm, it squished, and it was messy. "For your tenth birthday, when you become a Pokemon trainer," the small handwriting smudged and faded before I had put tape over that too, to preserve it. I'd officially be a Pokemon Trainer tomorrow, wouldn't I? A little peak, just a teensy bit early, wouldn't be a bad thing...right?  
  
I started to peel off the aged tape. It snapped and folded awkwardly as I tugged it off the wrapping paper, and took some of the coloured outside with it. It felt weird to do this, like I was opening a locked vault. This was something I knew about for ages but I'd never even peeled back the tape? This was so weird.  
  
I decided I needed to just treat it like a bandaid. All at once, I pulled the tape off, and unfolded the wrapping paper too quickly to think about it.  
  
In the center was a folded piece of paper.  
  
It was white, just like the insides of the wrapping paper, but it was thicker, and folded very small, to the size of about a postage stamp. There wasn't anything written on the outside, at least not on this side, and the corners were foxed just a little. I suddenly felt a little guilty for squishing it so much over the years, but I was more confused as to why a piece of paper had to wait 13 years.  
  
"This better be worth it..." I mumbled quietly to myself, as I reached into my palm, dropping the wrapping paper on my blanket and gently unfolding the paper. It was deeply creased, and the first thing I noticed was that it was formatted like a letter, typed rather than written in the handwriting on the outside of the wrapping.

  
  
       "Dear _____,  
              "Hello! Happy tenth birthday!"  
  
I snorted a little, but kept reading. Why was the name left blank...?  
  
              "I'm so happy to finally get to tell you about some of the Pokemon adventures and hopes I have for you!"  
  
I looked down at this, still confused. I'd been raised around Pokemon, what could this letter possibly tell me that I didn't already know?  
  
              "Now that you're ready to go off on your adventure, I wanted to share with you some of my own hopes and dreams. I grew up in a world where Pokemon were just that, only dreams, never reality."  
  
I stopped. This was a letter from...before Pokemon even existed? How could that be possible? Being able to type a letter had been around for a while now, maybe, but since back before Pokemon existed? There's no way that could be true.  
  
              "Well, there were games that existed with Pokemon in them. But those were just games - it's not like I ever actually met a Pokemon in real life. But that didn't stop me from falling in love with the little pocket monsters~ I had my favourites, and I knew someday, somewhere, I'd get the chance to meet them face to face, even if it wasn't 'me' who got to meet them."  
  
Whoever this person was, they really weren't making sense. If it weren't for the fact that I'd waited 13 years to read this, I would've stopped and considered it some kind of silly nonsense. But I kept reading, hoping it would start _meaning_ something to me.  
  
              "That's where you come in! Before I left this world, I wanted to give something to a future generation of Pokemon trainers. I knew they'd exist somewhere, at some point, and I wanted to be a part of it. So I've sent this to you, in hopes that you would remember me."  
  
Talk of death and whatever other confusing stuff this person was on about... I was feeling a little uncomfortable reading this now. I knew the letter was old, but I didn't really want to think about a dead person sending me mail.  
  
              "If I've had any luck, you and I share the same soul."  
  
What.  
  
              "If I was able to send this to you, and you've kept it for this long, then I hope that means that I'm somewhere in there, in your consciousness, getting to experience this amazing world with you. And maybe you can help make my wishes into reality."  
  
What...? What on earth was this person talking about!? Souls, consciousness, what even?!  
  
              "I understand if this is hard to take in -"  
  
Oh do you!?  
  
              "But I wanted the chance to exist in a world like that, and maybe even pass on some of the knowledge I've gathered here in this lifetime with another me. Maybe help on their Pokemon journey, like so many people where I am wanted so badly."

  
  
This letter was crazy. This _person_ was crazy!  
  
But at the same time, I didn't know how much of it I could actually refute. It's not like I could prove the non-existence of souls or if they can become new people altogether, and it's not like I could just claim that it was coincidence that kept this present with me for all those years; there were too many times where I thought I'd lost it just for it to show up somewhere I thought I'd checked three times before. Not to mention how it came to me in the first place.  
  
I skimmed through the rest of the letter, and it mentioned memories, feelings, and urged me to try and remember. I couldn't remember what hadn't happened to me! But I got to the final line, and it wished me well, and good luck, and was signed with a name in that same small handwriting.  
  
_My_ name.  
  
Not Jaxon.  
  
But it was my name. I knew it, and I read it over a few times. I traced its shape with my index finger. That was _my_ name. I breathed it into the air, and it felt like I'd be hit in the chest.  
  
I suddenly and violently understood what this person was talking about. I had lived a life on Earth where Pokemon was a successful video game series with its own set of merchandise and its own culture and so, so many fans. So many people who wanted it to exist so they could go on their own Pokemon journey, like I was about to. That "me" from that time, had written this letter all that time and space ago, and when time was up, they came here to live out that fantasy, and left me a little map of clues.  
  
A map of clues...? I flipped over the paper.  
  
In the upper right hand corner, that corner was folded down very tightly, and another, smaller sheet of paper was folded heavily into the creases of the letter. I gently unfolded it, my fingers shaking from all the memories that had suddenly been, well, reintroduced I guessed.  
  
It was another typed message, but this time it was a list. There were Pokemon Types and names printed, nine Types and twelve total Pokemon. I recognized most of the Pokemon names, but felt a little weird that not all the types were listed. This was for...?  
  
I wracked my brain, which was feeling much more tired now. I couldn't grasp at anything so I folded the papers back up and placed them gently in the wrapping paper, folding it up and around the letter too, and opened the drawer of my night stand to put them in. I glanced over at my clock and it was past 10PM now. I desperately needed to sleep this off.  
  
I laid down, so immensely tired from having all those "memories" suddenly hit me. My brain clicked off, one thing at a time until I felt myself floating into sleep. And I dreamed.  
  
I dreamed of meeting Pokemon. I dreamed of meeting a Pikachu. It looked up at me, and then walked away. I reached out for it, and it looked back, but continued on. I dreamed of a Chikorita, an excitable little one, and his friends, a Mareep, an Abra, a Magikarp, a Vulpix, and a Nidoran. They played together so happily, and smiled at me, and I smiled back. I felt so happy seeing them so happy, but at the same time I felt sad and distant. They danced away as a Fennekin drew closer. He brought his own friends, another Pikachu, this time a female with her heart-shaped tail, a Ralts, a Lucario, a Lapras, and a very tall Pokemon I'd never seen before, looking like a massive deer. They too danced and played happily, and that distant feeling lessened over my chest. There were other scattered Pokemon; a Popplio, a pink Mudkip, a Snivy, two more Pikachu... I knew them, but I couldn't place them. I loved them all, but I could feel the distance between myself and them, like I never knew them personally.  
  
Finally, "I" appeared. I took my hand, and just held it for a moment. I smiled at myself, not sure which one of us smiled first. I lifted my hand, still being held, and my fingers were shaped to point ahead of me. I directed my hand down and pointed out, Mareep, Popplio, Vulpix. I looked at me, longing and sadness and hope in my eyes, and pointed out those three again, and then uncurled my fingers and pressed my hand to my heart. And I left, and I took my Pokemon with me, and left me alone. And one by one, Mareep, Popplio, Vulpix, appeared in front of me. They were new, they weren't the ones I knew and didn't know. These are _mine_ , I could feel it. They were meant to be on my team.  
  
I woke, very blearily, into a surprisingly cool morning. My alarm was at its starting stage, where the beep-beep-beeping was quiet and not overly demanding of my attention just yet. I reached out to shut it off anyway, and rubbed my faced into my pillow. The light outside my window was fairly bright but somewhat overcast, so it wasn't too harsh. I stretched, and rubbed my eyes, and sat up and stretched again.  
  
My eyes shot open. It was my birthday.  
  
I scrambled up out of bed, trying to untangle myself from the blankets and ended up hopping on one foot over to my dresser. I ripped through the drawers, finding a halfway decent outfit and slapped on my Ultra Ball hat, covering my messy hair. I quickly brushed my teeth, skipped flossing for the second time this week, and thumped down the stairs as fast as I could without falling. Mom was up already, with a cup of tea, and I could hear dad snoring in their bedroom. She looked up at me as I made my way down and waved.  
  
I smiled what I'm sure looked like a half-panicked expression than one of happiness, but from her expression, I knew she understood. It was an exciting day.  
  
"I made you some hot cereal and toast, go ahead and eat some." She motioned over to the toaster oven, where there was a tray with a bowl and a slice of bread on it. I pulled them out carefully and added cinnamon, and ate them quickly once mom convinced me to sit down at the table. I gulped down some water too, which helped clear my head a little.  
  
I thought about last night, both the letter and the dream. The sleep had helped for sure, and I was still kinda wary of all those feelings and "memories" that I had supposedly remembered. They felt real enough, but it was too weird to remember something as though it happened to me, even though I could still remember my entire life and there was no room. But something about the dream had kind of smoothed things over; no use worrying over something now that it's happened, I figured. And I guessed some extra memories weren't such a bad thing. It wasn't like that past me was trying to take over my life, just to share in the experience. I can understand that, I guess.  
  
I thought a little more in present time once I'd decided on my feelings towards all that. The Lead Trainer wouldn't be ready until around 3PM today, and it was still nine in the morning. I knew the Lead Trainer; she was a kind of tanned, taller girl who had been on-and-off friends with Genna. She was nice, and she loved Pokemon. I'd bet when the Pokemon Center is done, she would be one of the first picks to work there, unless we got a Gym. She's totally Gym Leader material, but she just never moved out, never got the opportunity here.  
  
I had some time to kill before three. I knew my little party would be around noon, and I'd get to eat that cake. I wondered if my stomach could handle so much sugar before going to meet my first Pokemon, but I'd worry about that later. For now, I got to gather up everything I wanted to bring with me.  
  
I got up from the table and put my dishes in the sink, thanking mom as I ran back upstairs. She waved again and this time I waved back.  
  
I flipped on the lights in my room and went over to my closet to hunt for the Pokeballs I'd been given for my 12th birthday. Dad's brother had given them to me a year early, forgetting that I wouldn't be able to use them yet. I remember I almost cried, embarrassing, but dad had stepped in and offered to teach me how to throw them properly. I practiced for a couple weeks before it stopped bothering me and then I just let them alone.  
  
My stomach flipped as I felt one before I saw it. I gripped around it and pulled it out. I had put seals on it from the leftover set that Genna had, mostly the ones she hadn't wanted. The one on this one was an ele-seal, which made me think of the Fast Ball. I picked at it, but it didn't come loose. I set it down near my knee and kept digging for the rest. I was able to find two more, which I think was all of them. One of them didn't have a seal, and the other had a foamy seal.  
  
Three Pokeballs. And three choices. And three that my other me asked for. Well, I guessed I'd get there.  
  
The rest of the morning went by quick enough. When I went back downstairs dad was up and chatting with mom over breakfast and I joined them quietly. They asked if I was excited, and I nodded even though I still felt a little sick with nervousness. Mom held my hand and dad tipped my hat off to ruffle my hair.  
  
Soon enough it was getting to be noon and Genna called with a full HoloCast, real time instead of leaving a message. Mom set her HoloCaster on the floor so she'd be closer to her real size, and I laughed a little as she floated above the ground. She wished me a happy birthday and brought out her Azumarill and young flier, a Fletchinder, to sing Happy Birthday to me. Mom and dad joined in too, and so did I, singing off-key on purpose. Mom brought out my cake with a big 13 candle in the middle. Genna made puffing noises, pretending to try and blow it out through the Holo Caster, and I made my wish.  
  
_I wish that I'm able to have the best Pokemon Adventure that anyone has ever had._  
  
I blew out my candle and felt confident in it. It was a silly wish, but it felt right.  
  
We said goodbye to Genna as dad was cutting the cake up and had to promise her three times that there would still be some when she got here before we could all sit down to eat. It was really tasty, the frosting being just the right amount of sweet and the cake had set out for just long enough to be spongey again.  
  
After we were done, dad pulled a small wrapped present out from behind his back. It was a box about the size of a DS itself, although it was almost as tall as it was wide.  
  
I ripped the wrapping paper, and inside was a shiny matte box that read "PokeDex" on it. It was a classic flip PokeDex, like the ones I saw him and mom use and had liked so much. I opened the box, and there it was, no scratches, new and shiny and just for me. I flipped out the PokeRadar and touched the power button softly, just running my hands over it. Dad patted me on the shoulder.  
  
"We'll have to teach you how to use it before you pick out your first Pokemon, huh?" I smiled up at him and nodded.  
  
"I'd like that."

* * *

 

After learning how to maneuver the basic layout of the PokeDex, how to scan Pokemon - we didn't haven any at home right now since mom and dad's Pokemon were at the daycare together - how to look up their description, what to do when the PokeRadar goes off, I was let off to go around town asking to scan our neighbors' Pokemon. It had cleared up into a day with big puffy clouds and bright sunshine, and the air felt really refreshing. I was a little awkward at first, going around asking, but since I'd known so many of these Pokemon for so long, it quickly wore off as I collected little bits of data here and there about them. I was so excited that it was 3 before I knew it.  
  
Mom called me back home for a quick stop-off to make sure I was okay, and asked if I wanted anyone to go with me. I shook my head, and she gave me a hug, and I gave her one back. We waved to each other as I ran off, PokeDex in hand, to the Lead Trainer's house.  
  
Her house was a lot like mine, a little smaller on the outside, and with a very different layout inside. She invited me in and complimented my new PokeDex. The front room was mostly just a long white tiled room with an accent wall that had an arch built into it that looked like it led into a very comfy living room. There were hanging plants that were all smushed up next to a glass back door, and they were at varying levels of moisture, but they were all green. The decor all looked kitchenesque, like this room used to be a kitchen and was remodeled but not all the way. There was an island counter, and on it sat three Pokeballs. I gulped.  
  
I knew that sometimes, even though we were a small town, it was possible to import rarer Pokemon from other regions. Sometimes, like with Genna, it would be more local Pokemon, but it would usually be ones that were harder to come by so we'd still feel special for not having a Pokemon we'd see immediately outside. I wondered what my options would be. I shuffled nervously up, gripping my PokeDex in one hand and the knapsack I'd thrown over my shoulder with my Pokeballs inside. I wanted to offer my new Pokemon a personalized ball if it wanted one.  
  
The Lead Trainer smiled at me again and pushed me gently towards the Pokeballs.  
  
"Go ahead and pick them up. When you've decided on one, let me know, and I'll put the other two back, okay?" I nodded at her, and hesitantly put my hand out to the one in the center.  
  
I picked it up, and held my hand out and away from the island, giving the Pokemon inside space to come out.  
  
The red light of a Pokeball opening was bright, and there was a slight vibration in my hand, feeling the Pokemon leave and materialize on the ground in front of us.  
  
A light blue head with small purple stems coming out the side greeted me, but not with a face. Instead a tail out of the back of the small bean-shaped body, and it waddled around until it finally turned back to look at us. It smiled big and hopped up, nearly falling when it landed with no arms to catch itself.  
  
A Wooper. I laughed quietly to myself, covering my mouth with the hand that held its Pokeball.  
  
I knelt down to pat it on the head, and it was cold and sort of wet, but not terribly unpleasant. It smiled up again at me and gave its call. I smiled back.  
  
I got back up and reached a little more confidently for the Pokeball on the right. By this point the Lead Trainer was leaning against a counter and just watching over us. She seemed amused.  
  
I set down the first Pokeball in its original spot as I picked up the right one, and this time the kickback wasn't as surprising. The red light flashed, and a small blue and black Pokemon appeared. It walked on four legs, and though I couldn't see its eyes, it was looking up towards me. I didn't actually know this one, so I pointed my PokeDex towards it.  
  
"Deino, the Irate Pokemon," it spoke in a classic almost-human voice.  
  
"Irate?"  
  
"It means grumpy or irritated," the Lead Trainer offered. "It's just a title though, I wouldn't put too much stock in it. All the Deino I've known are sweethearts deep down. Just be careful of your fingers."  
  
I cautiously made to reach down, and the Deino snorted at me, sniffing the air as my hand approached. I touched its head gently and it smiled just a little and wagged its short tail. It then tried to nip at my fingers, but I pulled my hand back quickly. It snorfed around, looking for where my hand had gone I guessed. I set down its Pokeball on the right side, smiling down at the silly little thing. The Wooper came over to it and brushed up against it with the side of its head and the Deino responded by trying to nip at the Wooper's little purple stems. They chased each other around clumsily as I reached for the third Pokeball on the left.  
  
The red flash, the tiny kickback, and suddenly I felt a thick air of familiarity wash over me. Sitting and shaking out its fur just a little ways from the other two was a small, fluffy, and yellow Pokemon with a brilliant blue face and legs, and cute little black and yellow horns, with a matching tail.  
  
A Mareep.  
  
My breath hitched a little and I kept ahold of its Pokeball. It looked up at me once it was done fluffing itself out, and stood up from sitting on its hind legs to trot over.  
  
"I, uhm..." The Lead Trainer looked at me from her comfortable sitting position on the counter and saw how weird my pose was in reaction to the Mareep. She started to move to come over and make sure I was alright, but I straightened. "I uhm! I think I know which one I want."  
  
She paused mid-hop down, and after a moment gently landed on the ball of her foot and started to walk over.  
  
"Well great!" she said with a smile. "Who's gonna be your starter?"  
  
I handed her the Pokeball that I was still holding and then knelt to get a better look at the Mareep who was sitting again, fairly close to my feet. I reached out a hand, remembering from visiting Floccesy Ranch and having a little too close an experience with a Mareep's shocking wool to only touch the blue parts, I offered the tips of my fingers very near the Mareep's nose. It looked at them, and at my face, and then back to my hand, and then closed its eyes and gently booped my fingertips. I smiled and the Mareep opened its eyes again. It gave a gentle call.  
  
"This one," I said, standing back up and pointing down at the Mareep. The other two Pokemon were still tusseling and seemed to want to include the Mareep now too, though the Deino quickly caught on that it shouldn't bite most everywhere on it. The Wooper seemed fairly unaffected and kept a goofy grin.  
  
"Although, uhm, I brought my own Pokeball, if that's okay...?" I asked, grabbing my knapsack from my shoulder and starting to open it.  
  
"Oh yeah, that's totally fine!" The Lead Trainer grinned at me. "It's always great to see kids who are so ready to make their journey really theirs! Just hand it to me and I'll set you up." I dug around in my knapsack, feeling for a Pokeball with a seal, while she started rounding up the other two Pokemon.  
  
I looked down at the little electric seal, and then knelt again to show the Mareep the Pokeball. It sniffed it and then seemed satisfied, looking back up at me.  
  
"Do you think you'd like to be my starter?" I asked. The Mareep called again and I felt emotional all of a sudden.  
  
I stood and the Lead Trainer had successfully corralled the other two and set them back in their respective places. I handed her my Pokeball, and she opened the plain one and hit a button inside. The Mareep perked a bit and looked around for a moment, while the Lead Trainer pressed a button in my Pokeball too.  
  
"Alright, just to make sure it's all calibrated, go ahead and catch Mareep with your Pokeball, okay?" She handed mine back to me, and I knelt down once more, and offered the Pokeball to the Mareep.  
  
"If you're okay with it, I'd like you to be my starter. Okay?" The Mareep blinked at me once, and then moved its head forward towards my hand, and booped its nose against the capture button. The red light flashed again, and the kickback was a little stronger, feeling a Pokemon come back into the ball. I turned it around and looked at it, smiling bigger than I had for what I'm sure was a long time. I stood back up and wiped my face on my short sleeves. "Thank you," I said quietly to the Lead Trainer, who patted me on the shoulder.  
  
"Congrats, champ-in-the-making," she said humouredly.

* * *

 

I rushed back home as soon as I collected myself. I couldn't wait to show mom and dad my first Pokemon!

**Author's Note:**

> Okaaay so I know not everything is quite accurate to the Pokemon lore - things like switching Pokeballs and of course the age, not to mention Wooper, but I just want to pet a Wooper! If there's anything glaring that I missed, please do let me know, I'd like to keep it decently lore-friendly, but otherwise I hope you enjoyed!


End file.
